


I Miss Her, You Know?

by SeashellDeeDee



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Basically everybody - Freeform, Coming Out, Every Character - Freeform, F/M, Grieving, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Mental Breakdown, Mental Health Issues, Multi, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Past Relationship(s), Someone dies, everyone is also sad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2020-11-06
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:01:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27339097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeashellDeeDee/pseuds/SeashellDeeDee
Summary: After a tragic death, Pelican Town just doesn't feel the same. Everyone grieves in different ways, and sometimes grieving can bring people closer together, but it can also push them apart.
Relationships: Alex/Emily (Stardew Valley)
Kudos: 9





	1. I'm Okay, I Swear

# Chapter 1

Alex put his hands in his jacket pockets and exited his house, flinching slightly as the cold winter winds hit him. He shivered a bit and started walking towards the town square, the sunlight briefly warming the back of his neck. Alex stood in the town square and looked up at the sky, letting the snow hit his face. The jock then sighed, turned to face the general store and briefly considered going in. Alex approached the door and hesitated before deciding to head back home. Before he was able to leave, the door to the general store opened and a warm voice filled the air. "Oh! Alex! I haven't seen you since...you know" Alex tensed up at the words and turned back around to face the speaker. "Yeah...I haven't really been out of the house. How's everything?" Caroline smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Dear, I know you're still hurting. I would be hurting too. Do you want a tea? Or anything?" Alex just wanted to scream, to run away back to the safety of his room and warm blankets. 

"No thanks...I'm...I'm good. I just...needed some space I guess. Or whatever. I don't know." Alex quickly turned and rubbed the back of his head. "It was good to see you." Alex didn't mean it. He didn't want to see anyone. He wanted everyone to be gone, but he wanted everyone to be with him forever. Alex started walking towards the beach, sniffling from the cold. His letterman's jacket didn't protect much from the harsh Winters of Stardew Valley. He tapped his side anxiously as he walked, not wanting to run into anyone. He was so sick of all the condolences and sympathetic stares he would receive, that's why he shut himself in his room for days. His whole world was awful. Everything was awful. 

Alex walked to the docks and sat himself close to Willy's shop. He started to pick at the wooden boards, listening to the sounds of the ocean and the faint squawks of the seagulls. He continued to tap on his side and tuned out a bit. He snapped back to reality as he felt a hand on his shoulder. Sam sat down next to him, and gave Alex a faint smile. "You're crying" Alex brought a finger up to his left cheek and found out that it was soaked. He tucked his knees up to his chest. "Don't tell anyone." Sam shrugged and looked out over the ocean with the brunette. Alex rubbed his nose again and spoke up. "We've never really talked before." Sam nodded. "Yeah. We haven't. So..are things-" Alex cut him off. "I'm fucking alright! Jeez. I've dealt with losing someone before! It's fucking fine, so stop asking because it's driving me fucking crazy!" Sam flinched and tried to think of something to say. "Alright. Sorry." Sam sighed and got up. "But I'm here for you man. If you need to talk or whatever, even if we don't know each other all that well."

Alex heard the blonde get up and walk away, the boards creaking with each step until he could hear the soft crunch of the sand, and then silence. Alex sat there for hours, not moving, softly crying and gripping the boards of the dock until his hands bled. As night fell, the door to Willy's store creaked open. Willy looked down at Alex and adjusted his battered cap. The older man didn't say anything and sat next to Alex, before rubbing his back. "Feels like it's been a long while since I've seen you." Alex looked up at Willy and took a shaky breath. "Yeah. I guess." 

Willy helped Alex to his feet and brought him inside the store. "I'm not gonna ask if you're alright, or if you want to talk about it, or if you want to talk about her. Relax" Alex actually cracked a slight smile for the first time in weeks and wiped his eyes. "How have you been? Uh, How's the shop been?" Willy shrugged and hung up his coat and hat. "I've been as good as I can be. Shop is the same as it always is. Sales are low, money is tight, but fishing is still fishing" Alex wiped his eyes and nose again. "Yeah." The awkwardness had started to creep in. "So...uh...I should get going." Willy rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah. Or you could stay here and avoid the cold" Alex shook his head. "Don't want to make Grandpa George nervous. Especially after...you know." Willy stepped closer to Alex and nodded before gently grabbing his shoulder. "Walk safe. And you have my phone number if you want to call me" Alex gave a slight smile and left the shop before pulling his jacket closer around him. The relief he had felt from Willy's presence quickly diminished when he was alone. The darker thoughts had started to reach their hands back into his mind. Alex had gotten back to his house and stared at the door before taking a deep breath, trying to push out the thoughts of Willy, of crying, of the funeral, of sitting in his bed and crying himself to sleep, of grabbing a razor blade and contemplating. Alex then opened the door and stepped in. The T.V. was turned off which meant his grandpa was asleep. Alex walked as softly as he could to his room and entered it before closing the door. 

He undressed, slipped into his pajamas and curled up in bed, not even bothering with a shower, Alex stared at the ceiling and reached over to the gridball that was on the corner of his bedsheets. Alex knew every last bump, where the laces are and exactly how much air is in it. But none of that seemed to matter anymore. He had lost his biggest fan, the only person who seemed to really care about him. Alex sat up and launched the gridball at the wall and gripped his bedsheets. Alex took a deep breath and tried to calm down but couldn't. He was angry. And he didn't know why. He wanted to punch his wall until his fists bled. He wanted to tear down his bookshelf and rip up every book he couldn't read. He wanted to smash his stupid gridball helmet into a million pieces because nothing really fucking mattered anymore.

He punched his bed and started to scream into his pillow. Alex's door opened slowly and a small hunched over figure stood there. "Alex? Dear? I heard banging? Is everything alright?" Alex sat up and wiped his red eyes. 'I'm fine grandma. I...I'm fine" Evelyn gave a sad nod and slowly closed the door. Alex sniffled and opened his window before sneaking out. He shivered in the cold and walked over to the enclosure and leaned on the fence. "Dusty. Sorry about the cold air boy. But you're a strong old boy aren't you? Not like me. I'm all weak." The old brown dog whined softly and looked up at Alex. "Yeah. I keep having to tell people I'm okay. I'm all messed up inside right now. I'm not okay. I'm not okay because Haley is dead and she shouldn't be and she was okay just a few weeks ago and she's dead now!" The next thing Alex knew he was sobbing and leaning over the fence and shaking. "She shouldn't be dead Dusty. She shouldn't be." The old brown dog shakily stood up and licked Alex's face before laying back down in his box. Alex wiped the lick away and nodded "I knew you'd understand. Good boy Dusty" Alex took a breath and fixed his hair before climbing back through his window and laying down. 


	2. Coconuts, Wine, And Garbage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emily turns to an old vice to try and get over her sister's passing. Alex makes an unexpected friend

## Chapter 2

Emily hadn't even looked at the door to Haley's room since her passing. The blue haired girl slowly walked over to the fridge in the kitchen and pulled open the door. She grabbed a bottle of orange juice and poured herself a glass before taking a seat at the dinner table. She slowly took deep breaths and brought the glass to her lips. Emily clenched the glass tightly and felt a few tears form. Emily fought back the tears and finished her drink, wiping her eyes as she did. She then walked into the living room and took a seat on the couch, being extra careful to not even look in the direction of her sister's room. She sat quietly for a few minutes before grabbing a throw pillow and tucking it close to her chest. On the pillow, there was the faint scent of coconuts, and that alone was enough to cause Emily to break down into tears. She screamed into the pillow and cried.

Emily threw the pillow across the room and it landed by the sewing machine. She got up and stomped over to it, before turning her attention to the piece of machinery. Emily felt an anger swell up inside of her, getting lodged in her throat so no words could come out. She kicked the sewing machine to the ground, and yelled loudly, before grabbing a nearby wooden stool and bashing the thing she had once so dearly loved into nothing but broken pieces on the ground. The door to her house was opened and a concerned Jodi appeared. The older brown haired woman cautiously approached the shaking Emily and walked her back to the couch, where the blue haired girl quickly wrapped her arms around Jodi and continued sobbing. No words were exchanged between the two for a long time, only the sounds of Emily sniffling and Jodi shushing her gently. Emily slowly sat up and wiped her nose. "I just want to die. I just want it to all be over." Jodi thought about what to say. Ever since Kent had returned, she had gotten good at calming him down when he had his moments. "I know. I know that you're in so much pain. There is never going to be a day where you aren't in pain, and you might not see a light at the end of the tunnel right now, but it's there. Just keep pushing forwards, even when it hurts"

Emily shook softly. "It's not fair...why did she go..." Emily spoke between sharp inhales and shakes. Jodi stroked Emily's hair. "I can't answer that Emily. But I know that you're a strong girl. It might not be today, it might not even be this year, but you're going to be okay" Jodi stayed with Emily until that night, when she left the girl by herself once again. Emily had turned on a documentary about that traditions of Stardew Valley to take her mind off of Haley. Emily tucked her knees up to her chest and started at the T.V. The documentary had begun to showcase the Dance of the Moonlight Jellies, when in the documentary, a camera click was heard. Emily felt the tears coming back on, so she stood up and turned to the kitchen, once again being careful to not look at Haley's door, and headed over to the sink. She knelt down and opened the cabinet door under it. She moved aside the cleaning chemicals and found a dusty crate that Emily hadn't touched in two years. Something she vowed to never again touch. She pulled out a bottle of wine and uncorked it, quickly taking a swig, and then another, and then another, and then another.

. "

Alex had been staring at his weight set for the past hour or so. He had already changed into his workout clothes but felt no urge or drive to do anything. Ever since Haley's death, he had only done ten pushups and twelve sit ups. Just as Alex was about to bail out on the idea of working out, Grandpa George called to him from the living room. "Alex! The darn raccoons are back! Could you go and spook them off?" Alex gave an annoyed sigh and responded. "Yes sir, I'll do it right now" Alex threw on a white shirt and his letterman's jacket as he headed outside to chase of the racoons.

As Alex stepped into the cold winter night, he could hear the garbage can rustling. He turned the corner and started banging on the trash can to scare away the raccoons, but instead he saw a figure run off. Alex yelped. "It was too small to be Linus, maybe Jas or Vincent pulling a prank." He tried to reassure himself after nearly having a heart attack from the unexpected figure. 

The jock followed the footprints left behind by the figure all the way to Cindersap Forest, and down to the old sewer grate, which was left open just a crack. The smell was horrid but Alex wanted to know who was stealing from his garbage if it wasn't Linus, and the kids probably wouldn't flee to the sewers. Alex gagged from the smell of the place and cautiously walked down the long corridor, the snowy footprints fading out. He found himself in a large open area before long and spotted a black figure standing off to the side, trying to hide himself. Alex stood up as tall as he could and did his best to look tough. "Hey!?" He approached the figure and looked down at it. The figure looked around nervously. "Yes?" Alex was relieved the strange being could speak his language. "Were you rummaging around in my garbage cans?" The shadow figure nodded. "I have observed humans for a long time. They throw away many useful items. I have seen humans dig through garbage before as well." Alex gave a disgusted look. "Linus. Hey, what even are you? I've heard that old geezer Marlon tell stories about shadow people or whatever" The figure nodded again. "Yes. I am a shadow person. I am Krobus. I am not like the others you may have heard about. I only wish to sell items" Alex looked puzzled. "So you run a shop down here? Do you get much business? Krobus remained silent and looked around. "That man you mentioned, Linus. Sometimes he buys things. Other shadow people occasionally"

Alex sighed and wrapped his jacket tighter around him. "Just promise me you'll stop going through my garbage." Krobus thought for a minute. "As long as you promise to buy things from my shop" Alex shrugged and patted Krobus on his head. "Deal" 


End file.
